The wife of a Japanese journalist kept captive by Islamic State militants released her first statement on Thursday since the hostage crisis broke on Jan. 20.

In the statement, which was accompanied by an audio file, Kenji Goto’s wife Rinko said her husband “is a good and honest man who went to Syria to show the plight of those who suffer.” The couple has two children, the statement also said. Read More »

Two and a half years after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan, some victims are taking on a new challenge: Helping others in need as far away as Syria and the Philippines.

Shortly after the disaster on March 11, 2011, more than 30 elderly women who lost their homes in the northern fishing village of Shichigahama formed a knitting group called Yarn Alive. The women, who lived in tiny temporary housing, knitted hats and sweaters every day, consoling each other and forming an informal support group. Read More »

About Japan Real Time

Japan Real Time is a newsy, concise guide to what works, what doesn’t and why in the one-time poster child for Asian development, as it struggles to keep pace with faster-growing neighbors while competing with Europe for Michelin-rated restaurants. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, the site provides an inside track on business, politics and lifestyle in Japan as it comes to terms with being overtaken by China as the world’s second-biggest economy. You can contact the editors at japanrealtime@wsj.com